Affective Themes Related to Parenting Among Mothers in Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder

This study examines the thematic content of four negative affective tones—frustration, anger, anxiety and guilt—expressed by mothers in treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD) as they describe their relationships with their preschool-aged children. The sample included 150 African American women with children between 36 and 63 months of age (M = 48.5, SD = 7.4). The Working Model of the Child Interview was used to generate mothers’ narratives of their children and of themselves as parents. Transcripts were rated on the degree to which specific affective tones were present. Follow-up thematic analysis was conducted on transcripts where high levels of four affects were expressed: frustration (n = 13); anger (n = 6); guilt (n = 9); and anxiety (n = 7), with frustration and anger combined in the final analysis given overlap in content themes. The findings, which included mothers’ anger/frustration about their child’s challenging behavior; guilt about the impact of their substance misuse on the child; and anxiety about the child getting hurt or becoming ill, reflected mothers’ desires to be good parents. Some themes cut across multiple negative emotions, including managing child behavior, the consequences of substance misuse, and co-parenting with family members. Also underlying all the affective tones was a sense of powerlessness. The findings underscore the importance of providing supports for parents who are in treatment for SUD that center parents’ emotions.